1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is for a thrombectomy catheter device, in general, and more particularly, to a thrombectomy catheter device incorporating a miniature distal portion for introduction into the smaller vessels in neurovascular regions. 
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art thrombectomy catheters have been designed to access and treat neurological anatomy, whereby the catheter was delivered in two parts. First, a microcatheter was delivered to the site over a guidewire. A microcatheter is essentially a tube which functions as the effluent lumen of the thrombectomy catheter. Then, a nitinol jet body, the part of the thrombectomy catheter that delivers saline to the distal end of the catheter, is delivered inside the microcatheter to the treatment site. The jet body has proximally directed small holes that are partly responsible for the high back pressures developed by the catheter. The holes are positioned to direct high speed jets proximally within the catheter body. In previous neurological thrombectomy catheters, the jet body was designed to include a short skirt. When the jet body was activated by pumped saline, recovered pressures within the catheter assembly would expand the skirt such that the two parts became a unified single catheter assembly. The sequential exchange of devices meant that no guidewire was in place once the jet body was delivered. Hence, there was more lumen capacity for exhaust flow and the catheter size could be kept smaller. This two-part configuration for delivery was difficult to accomplish. Some microcatheters would actually stretch while the jet body was advanced through the lumen. Hence, the jet body was never exposed to enable activation. Sometimes the microcatheter would ovalize in tortuous anatomy making it difficult to deliver the jet body through its lumen. Furthermore, interventionalists are never comfortable giving up their wire position, so removing the wire and exchanging it for a jet body was regarded as a bit awkward and nonintuitive.  Prior neurologic thrombectomy catheters were also underpowered for the tough thrombus that is found in embolic stroke patients (organized thrombus from the left atrium). With any given style catheter design there is a trade-off between the thrombectomy power of the catheter and the vessel safety of that catheter design as the neurological arteries are highly fragile (very thin and unsupported vessel walls) and the clot material is tough and organized. 